Editing Baal Menagen (Master of Melody) (section)

A "Baal Menagen" is the Chassidic term for a chossid with a special sense for absorbing the niggunim of Chabad Lubavitch Chassidus. Since there are hundreds of niggunim, and sometimes within one niggun there are several variations as passed down by different chassidim in the Chassidic musical tradition, the "Baal Menagen" acquires wonderful expertise in all the niggunim with their variations and performs them with wonderful precision together with genuine and pure heartfelt melody.

The Chabad Rebbeim cherished the Baalei Menagnim of their times and would instruct them during farbrengens to begin certain niggunim and the like.

In 1944, the Frierdiker Rebbe established the Nichoach organization with the goal of collecting the old Chabad niggunim, cleaning them of errors with the help of Baalei Menagnim from among the elder Temimim who learned in Lubavitch, and transcribing them into musical notation by an expert in the field according to a review committee and arranging them for print. The Frierdiker Rebbe appointed Rav Shmuel Zalmanov as head of the organization, and through the committee the Sefer HaNiggunim was published containing the musical notation of Chabad niggunim, with the purpose of collecting the various Chabad niggunim, correcting errors and preserving them.

The chossid who is a Baal Menagen leads and conducts the 'Seder Niggunim' where chassidim or temimim sit together and sing Chabad niggunim. This seder takes place in Chabad yeshivos worldwide and in Chabad communities. Usually, at the end of the seder, one of the participants reviews a maamar Chassidus by heart.